I think that's a bold claim. Many things that were cheap then are now unreachably expensive. Many careers that paid well then are gone. The converse is also true; many things that were unreachably expensive then are cheap now, but that doesn't mean that we can easily live such lifestyles if we choose to. Forgoing a cellphone and seatbelts doesn't make it easy to afford a bungalow! Nor is such a lifestyle even legal, in many cases. And you won't find a payphone to call your family. The world moves around us, and it's not a matter of choice to be pulled along.